How many species of caecilians are there?
There are nearly 200 species of caecilians known to science, ranging from the 3.5-inch-long Idiocranium russell in Cameroon to the nearly 5-foot-long giant known as Caecilia thompsoni in Colombia.
What is a caecilian classified as?
AmphibianCaecilians / Class
The Caecilians are elongated, segmented, limbless amphibians. They are classified in the order Gymnophiona or Apoda (“without legs”).
What are some examples of caecilians?
Atretochoa…Aquatic caeciliansCaeciliidaeIchthyophisTyphlonect… natansGegeneop… seshachari
Caecilians/Lower classifications
What makes a caecilian an amphibian?
amphibians A group of animals that includes frogs, salamanders and caecilians. Amphibians have backbones and can breathe through their skin. Unlike reptiles, birds and mammals, unborn or unhatched amphibians do not develop in a special protective sac called an amniotic sac.
What is the largest caecilian?
The largest caecilian is Caecilia thompsoni, which reaches 151.5 cm; the smallest is Grandisonia brevis at 11.2 cm but a female of Idiocranium russeli was gravid at 0.90 cm.
How do you know if your a caecilian?
Caecilians (pronounced seh-SILL-yens) are tropical amphibians that look like large worms or slick snakes. They have no arms or legs, and sometimes it’s hard to tell which end is the head and which is the tail! Their shiny skin is ringed with skin folds called annuli.
How big can a caecilian get?
Aquatic caecilians, also known as rubber eels, are found in Colombian and Venezuelan lowland rivers and streams. Looking more like large worms than the legless amphibians they are, they can grow up to 22 inches in length and have slimy smooth dark gray skin.
What is unique about caecilian?
Caecilians are the only amphibians to have tentacles. They get their name from the Latin for blind or hidden, “caecus.” This is apt, as many caecilians have no eyes and all live underground. Some caecilians are born with short, blunt teeth, used peel off the outer layer of the mother’s thick skin for food.
Are caecilian venomous?
Animals called caecilians may have been among the first vertebrates on land to lace their bites with venom.
What kind of animal is Thompson’s caecilian?
Caecilia thompsoni, commonly called Thompson’s caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Caeciliidae. It is endemic to Colombia. It is the largest of the worm-like caecilians and reaches a length of 1.5 m (5 ft) and can weigh up to about 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Where did Caecilia thompsoni live?
Caecilia thompsoni Boulenger, 1902, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 7, 10: 152. Holotype: BMNH 1946.9.5.13 (formerly 1902.5.15.26), according to Taylor, 1968, Caecilians of the World: 449. Type locality: “Villeta [between Hondo and Bogotá,] Colombia, altitude 3500 feet”.
What is the holotype of Caecilia thompsoni Boulenger?
Caecilia thompsoni Boulenger, 1902, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 7, 10: 152. Holotype: BMNH 1946.9.5.13 (formerly 1902.5.15.26), according to Taylor, 1968, Caecilians of the World: 449.
There are nearly 200 species of caecilians known to science, ranging from the 3.5-inch-long Idiocranium russell in Cameroon to the nearly 5-foot-long giant known as Caecilia thompsoni in Colombia. Caecilians tend to have very small eyes, which are thought only to be able to detect differences between light and dark.